Vent
by Burnout'83
Summary: "Derek once told me he ate a Zebra. "  "Who's Derek ? " asked Richard Dawkins glancing nervously at Douglas Adams who was driving the car .   There was a squealing followed by a loud pop as the armrest in the back seat  exploded.


_Hi,_

_I'm sorry I haven't done the full MFM date with Cameron and John yet. That's still __a __WIP._

_If you are a science and science fiction fan you may like this . It's set about three months before John turns up in Red and Cameron decides needs someone to talk to about her situation. _

_A couple of guys said they'd like this story as a stand-alone so as not to break the continuity of the chapters in the main story.  
><em>

_This is a triple Fanfiction._

_I really hope you enjoy it. It's not funny in the same way as MFM , but here's something to make you smile , and think._

* * *

><p>There was a nearly full moon . Cameron sat in her usual position high up in Mr. Chapman's tree. A cooling desert breeze faintly swayed the branches and moonlight silvered the underside of the rustling leaves. She balanced her open book on her chest and stretched out on the thick branch . Hands behind her head she gazed up at the stars, and as if she were human, she sighed.<p>

Cameron had been in 1999 for a hundred and ninety one days and she had learned so many things a terminator could never have guessed about how humanity behaves in peacetime . The most unexpected ; as she became increasingly interconnected in the social 'circuitry' of Red Valley society how the experience became positive and enjoyable.

The only problem , she wasn't a sixteen year old girl . With Now-John's arrival getting nearer Cameron needed to recall she was General Connor: Joint Commander-In-chief of The Machine And Human Alliance, and of course and was she originally designed for a very specific ,deadly purpose.

In 1999 she was surrounded by the island that was humanity and Cameron was alone on it . One of her kind, and she'd become estranged to a whole expansive continent of her own nature.

Being a Terminator with nothing to terminate, what did humans say? It was like a itch you had to scratch.

There was no way she could confide in any of her school or older friends , nor could she 'dump' this on a sixteen year old John when he turned up . Now-Sarah wouldn't understand even if she did listen to her for a minute without getting metal-head on.

Cameron decided she had to accept she had perfectly natural and normal 'urges'. What was worse, these urges had begun to manifest themselves as visual daydreams. Like the one she had at school this afternoon.

"Miss Phillips ,"

She felt Mellisa elbow-nudge her. " Huh , I'm so sorry, " she replied, smiling at the English teacher .

"Perhaps when you are ready to rejoin us Cameron? Act V. Scene Three."

"Of course ... "Give me thy torch, boy: hence, and stand aloof; Yet put it out, for I would not be seen". . . "

The previous evening Annie and Kenny had taken Cameron to the sandy field they watered and dug and fertilized. Kenny held up a string of bitten carrots.

"Damn Jackrabbits !" Annie shook an angry fist at the warren burrowed into the sandstone hillside at the edge of the field .

Cameron glanced over at the ancient tractor with it's digging arm.

"Won't work ," Kenny said as if reading her mind, "we tried. Critters are dug twenty, thirty yards back in there . That hillside is like a Cu Chi Viet Cong tunnel system."

This afternoon in school Cameron's mind drifted over Kenny and Annie's rodent problem . The English class faded and she began daydreaming .

First she had the intense vision of stealing the midnight blue Harley Davidson that was glinting across from the the school lot. Then she was out on the highway thrashing it over to LA . She imagined riding it so hard when she pulled up outside the bank the bike would be a wobbling, oil dripping overheated near piece of scrap with just enough tire tread and functionality left in it for a return journey .

She could almost feel her fingertips running along the ridges of cool metal as she withdrew a Phase Three Plasma Rifle from her account. In full High Definition she saw herself striding out of the bank with the weapon strapped over her shoulder as humans stepped aside for her making way for her exit .

Then the bike was a smoldering wreck dumped at the edge of the rabbit field . It was night and she was thermally scanning the fury rodents bunker. She decided she would totally plazmarize every single Jackrabbit in a one kilometer radius of Kenny and Annie's smallholding . Once cleansed ,she would lay ground level tripwires connected to C4 explosive charges. As the power cell turned red Cameron decided she would love the smell of a field full of high energy fried rabbit, first thing in the morning. The very thought of it sent a delicious part -Coltan, part-organic shiver coursing through her .

The branches swayed again and the stars glistened tantalizing overhead. Huh, where had her mind wandered?

What if the next time, say she was out with her friends and say the creep-outs from Hillfoot had driven over to Red in their cars really and started hassling her girlfriends one Friday night? What would she do if for a moment she let go ? She was the most sophisticated killing machine on the planet. Cameron could answer this to a point of satisfaction.

Maybe this was like going bad , she thought , but in an upside down sort of way.

Cameron glanced down at the cover of the book she was reading and replayed the dedication in the front page . Even if she told the whole truth about herself no one in Red would ever believe her , but maybe the right people could listen to her and maybe understand her. She needed to talk to someone, about this, maybe an outsider who she'd never meet again.

The next morning the blue Harley went missing from it's usual parking space from across the lot and 'Kirsty' ' rang in to say Cameron had a slight fever. so she wouldn't be attending school that day.

* * *

><p>Douglas and Richard were pulling out of the staff car park at Santa Barbra University . Rain lashed down on the windshield. Richard was was about to say that he could quite happily work a term at the university when Douglas yelled "shit" and slammed on the brakes. There was a mild thud and a teenage girl rolled across the windshield . In mid-turn, for a fraction of a second, a pair of brown eyes peered in . They seemed seemed oddly calm given the circumstances.<p>

By the time the two men got out of the car the girl was back on her feet and picking up her rucksack from the road.

"Are you okay ?" Douglas asked . He was a big man , six foot five, but he was physically shaking at thought of even harming another person unintentionally, without reason. It scared the crap out of him

Richard put his arm on her shoulder. The girl stared back at him without any fear.

"I'm fine" she said.

"You sure?" Richard asked.

"Maybe a couple of bruises but I can walk OK." A trickle of rain ran from her wet hair down her cheek . She looked so alone and vulnerable.

Douglas glanced at Richard

"Where were you heading?"

"Just the Greyhound Station," she replied.

"No I meant where were you heading?"

"Oh Albuquerque."

Douglas swallowed "Erm look, I've got a six year old daughter Polly. Richard's daughter's..."

"Sixteen," Richard answered, "her name's Juliet ."

"You're both English," The girl said as if encountering and alien species for the first time.

The two men stood in front of Douglas' car holding bright yellow plastic A3 note files to cover their heads ,both trying to figure something normal say next to a road traffic victim.

"That was quite an impressive roll, Douglas ventured, looking over the bonnet of the car ," took the inertia out of the impact."

"I do ballet . Like, are you a scientist?" Cameron tilted her head.

"He is , I just write about it ," Douglas said, " I'll let you into a secret ,I don't really understand any of it all."

"Look, what we are trying to say is, you're safe with us and we'll drive you to Albuquerque."

Cameron frowned as if weighing up the situation.

Having a teenage daughter, Richard decided straight adult honesty was the best policy ."It's only so you don't decide to sue us. I've got a lecture tour and we were heading down that way . Douglas is my driver ."

"Only because Richard forgets where he is and drives on the wrong side of the road. I been here a few years , I'm a safe driver- you are the only person I've ever knocked down. I don't think Richard has either." Douglas replied.

"Only on a bicycle once, in Oxford. It was nun , on a zebra crossing, I didn't see her, she was camouflaged . She wasn't injured."

Cameron stared,nonplussed innocence. For some reason Richard sensed she appeared about to ask why there was a religious female person riding a African Savannah dwelling mammal across a road in an English university city.

"Erm in England black and white road crossing are called Zebras. I'm a zoologist by trade . I assure you we don't have any wild zebras roaming around."

"Okay," Cameron frowned suspiciously . After a few moments feigning whether or not to trust the two men before she began climbing in the back of the car.

* * *

><p>There was a long silence in the car until they left the outskirts. Cameron just sat in the back rested her arm on the and tilted her head from side to side as if weighing up something of great significance, as if she was glued to an invisible tennis match.<p>

"Derek told me he once ate a zebra in LA zoo." Came the voice from the back seat.

"Erm who's Derek? Asked Douglas exchanging a slightly worried glance with Richard.

"Derek's a pig ."

"Go on, I take it you mean Derek's metaphorically a 'pig 'not a member of the Chordata phylum. Is he you boyfriend?

"No !" Cameron exclaimed vehemently " Derek is _not_ my boyfriend." There was squeaking followed by a loud pop as the armrest Cameron's hand had been trailing on exploded.

Both men jumped in their seats.

Cameron held her hands out in front of her" Please I won't hurt you."

Both men glanced at each other and then at the girl in the back of the car. Foam from the arm rest was spread all over the back seat.

Cameron looked terribly sad. "Look this is a bad idea. I wanted someone to talk to. You can put me down here ." Cameron pointed out of the window. They were somewhere in the middle of the desert highway ."It's Okay I'll steal a car or hijack one " She muttered . I'm allowed to do stuff like that, it's what I'm designed for. I'm sorry."

Douglas cleared his throat "Is there something you want to talk to us about ?"

"It's complicated ." Cameron shrugged and bobbed her head from side to side glancing around the interior of the car.

"I do complicated, It's my job" replied Richard.

"I just listen . So who is this Derek ? Douglas asked pulling the car over onto the side of the road.

* * *

><p>Couple of hours later (2:12:16 to be precise) Richard Dawkins, General Cameron Phillips and Douglas Adams were sat in a line with their arms around their knees , their backs to the car looking out across the desert. Cameron's eyes were shot- red , just like human girls are when they have been crying<p>

Richard picked another pebble up out of the sand and flicked it spinning through the air . Cameron reacted immediately and there was click as her pebble intercepted it in mid flight. They'd been playing this game in contemplative quietness for the last quarter an hour.

Richard stretched out his legs and coughed." There probably thousands scientists alive today who have contributed and will contribute to your creation. We just provided some of the inspiration and a small part of the theory. So in that respect our ideas are like your descendant memes and you absolutely have every right to come and discuss things with us whenever you want. I give you my word whatever, you say will be treated in the strictest confidence. There will always be a bed for you and your boyfriend if you ever want to stay. "

A large tow- truck appeared out of the shimmering desert heat and pulled in front of the car .

Douglas reached his big arm across and gave Cameron a gentle hug . "Cameron ,I won't mention a word,of this ever. Hey, " he ruffled her hair, "you know, you are superb. Any time you want to let off steam please just give us a call. But I think maybe next time we'll not do this in my car, yeah ."

The driver climbed down out of the tow truck cab. He took of his cap and scratched his head . Parts of a black C Class Mercedes were scattered all over the desert. The car's roof and doors had been torn off and were jutting up of a dune a considerable distance away from the road . What was left of the vehicle could have been dragged out from under a landslide .

"Hey buddy what the hell happened here?" The cab driver asked glancing over the teenage girl who was on her feet walking away from the wreckage . She pulled her rucksack on her shoulders and went to stand by the side of the road .

"Build quality," replied Richard with an firm English stoicism that shut down the possibility of any further questions from the truck driver . "It still has about thirty years to go to achieve its zenith ." Richard and Douglas smiled proudly at the girl who was standing at the side of the highway with her thumb out hitching a ride.


End file.
